Culture
Why does a song get stuck in your head?
An earworm is a short piece of music that returns without an invitation. Familiarity, a memorable melody and everyday cues can all help it start looping.
Culture
Ideas, habits, media and the things we collectively create.
Culture
Why Do People Collect Things They Rarely Use?
A collection can be a record of memory, identity and curiosity rather than a cupboard of unused equipment.
Culture
Why Do We See Faces in Random Patterns?
A face-shaped arrangement is enough to trigger a fast and forgiving visual system.
Culture
Why Do Ridiculous Old Fashions Come Back?
Styles return because tastes change in groups, archives remain available and each generation can make an old shape mean something new.
Culture
Why do we enjoy stories when we know the ending?
A familiar plot can still offer suspense, pleasure and surprise in the details. Knowing what happens may even make the journey easier to savour.
Culture
Why a song can take you back in an instant
The opening bars of an old favourite can return you to a place you had not thought about for years. Music brings emotion, familiarity and personal history together in one powerful cue.
Culture
Why can horror be enjoyable when fear feels unpleasant?
Horror gives us a chance to approach danger while knowing the threat is contained. The pleasure depends on context, intensity and the person watching.
Culture
Why Live Music Feels Different From the Same Recording
A concert adds shared attention, physical sound and the possibility that performers and audience can affect one another.
Culture
Why Can Fictional Characters Feel Emotionally Real?
Stories let us rehearse closeness, concern and loss with people who exist only on the page or screen.
Culture
Why Do Old Books Smell So Distinctive?
The scent of a used book is a trace of the materials slowly changing.